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Narrated by Sean Crisden
Dewey BozellaUnabridged — 6 hours, 37 minutes
Narrated by Sean Crisden
Dewey BozellaUnabridged — 6 hours, 37 minutes
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In this inspiring memoir, Dewey Bozella recounts his life and the twenty-six years he spent behind bars for a murder he did not commit-a stirring tale of courage, strength, faith, and perseverance.
In the late 1970s, Dewey Bozella was wrongfully accused of murdering Emma Crapser, a ninety-two-year-old resident of Poughkeepsie, New York. Sentenced to twenty years to life in prison, Bozella fiercely maintained his innocence throughout his ordeal at Sing Sing, and even refused the prosecutor's offer of instant freedom in exchange for admission of guilt. But in 2009, more than a quarter century later, Dewey Bozella would reclaim his identity and his humanity when his conviction was vacated.
In this powerful memoir, Bozella tells his harrowing and amazing story-interweaving his time in prison with stories of a childhood marked by violence and pain. He shares the joys of marrying the love of his life from behind bars, becoming a champion boxer, and earning his education; the agony of being denied parole four times, and living in a cellblock with his brother's murderer and, eventually, the killer whose thumbprint was found in Emma Crapser's apartment. Yet the fighter in Bozella never gave up. He would become a free man thanks to his undying faith, stalwart persistence, the aid of the Innocence Project, and Wilmer Hale, the Park Avenue law firm whose young pro bono attorney doggedly worked toward his release when all hope seemed lost.
Today, Bozella considers himself blessed. Stand Tall is a testament to optimism and love. It is the compelling story of a man who fought against inequity and hardship and, against all odds, came out on top.
…an engrossing narrative that is equal parts inspiration and heartbreak…Stand Tall is as much a celebration of one man's tenacious spirit as it is an indictment of the criminal justice and foster care systems.
07/11/2016
In this beautifully told memoir, former amateur boxer Bozella writes about growing up in foster care and his survival on the streets of New York City. Just as he is starting to make a respectable life for himself in the late 1970s, he is convicted of murdering a 92 year-old woman. There’s no evidence he committed the crime, yet he is put away on the testimony of a couple of acquaintances who got immunity deals in return for implicating him. He spends the next 20 years in jail; refusing an early release deal that would have required him to admit guilt. This strong internal compass guiding his decisions makes Bozella a compelling narrator. He decides early on in prison to better himself, and has the strength of mind to follow through. He becomes the boxing champion of Sing Sing, and begins working toward a college degree. He eventually marries while still in prison. When a white-shoe law firm gets word of his story, its lawyers work pro bono, spending over a million dollars to get his conviction vacated. His writing is concise, never self-congratulatory or self-pitying, and always graceful. (Dec.)
A riveting book.” — New York Times Book Review
“Riveting. . . . That he emerged with a loving heart, a devoted wife and his sanity is perhaps his biggest triumph of all.” — Washington Post
“In this beautifully told memoir, former amateur boxer Bozella writes about growing up in foster care and his survival on the streets of New York City…His writing is concise, never self-congratulatory or self-pitying, and always graceful.” — Publishers Weekly
“A harrowing and inspiring account of fighting a nearly lifelong battle against injustice.” — Kirkus
“In his memoir, Stand Tall, Dewey Bozella takes the reader on a harrowing yet ultimately triumphant journey through his life. Dewey Bozella proves himself as a fighter in every sense of the word. I cannot recommend this memoir enough.” — Mark Miller, author of Pain Don't Hurt
“Without bitterness, and with startling and admirable honesty, Bozella’s story shines a light on injustice and what it really means to have the heart of a fighter. This is a remarkable story told with perspective on life that has been hard won, and is all the more powerful for it.” — Mischa Merz, boxer and author of The Sweetest Thing
A riveting book.
Riveting. . . . That he emerged with a loving heart, a devoted wife and his sanity is perhaps his biggest triumph of all.
Without bitterness, and with startling and admirable honesty, Bozella’s story shines a light on injustice and what it really means to have the heart of a fighter. This is a remarkable story told with perspective on life that has been hard won, and is all the more powerful for it.
In his memoir, Stand Tall, Dewey Bozella takes the reader on a harrowing yet ultimately triumphant journey through his life. Dewey Bozella proves himself as a fighter in every sense of the word. I cannot recommend this memoir enough.
Riveting. . . . That he emerged with a loving heart, a devoted wife and his sanity is perhaps his biggest triumph of all.
2016-09-20
One mans struggle to stay positive when he was incarcerated for a crime he didnt commit.Bozella suffered an extremely different childhood within the foster care system and turned to petty theft, but the murder for which he was convicted in 1983 forced him to spend 26 years behind bars. In this candid memoir, the author tells his painful side of the story: how he was accused and found guilty on scant proof and how he spent the next half of his life as a prisoner in Sing Sing and other jails. Convicted murderer. Theres no way ever to take the sharp edge off those words or grow accustomed to their pain, he writes. Especially when theyre a lie, when youre paying for another mans crime, your whole life hijacked by people who turned their backs on the truth. That they did it so casually made it all the worse.I was a convenient scapegoat for an ambitious prosecutor and a bumbling police department. Throughout, Bozella shares specific details that only someone who has spent time in jail would knowe.g., the code of conduct inmates must follow if they want to avoid being attacked by a fellow prisoner; the underground commerce in drugs, food, clothes, and sex and how a pack of cigarettes often takes the place of cash; and the endless hours that need to be filled, which Bozella used to learn foreign languages, certificates in a variety of subjects, and his masters degree. Throughout his ordeal, the author stayed surprisingly positive and used his instincts as a boxer to help him make the necessary changes in his attitude toward life. When he was finally exonerated, he was able to forgive those who had sent him to prison. Telling people my story, he writes, is the best way Ive found to turn bitterness into hope. A harrowing and inspiring account of fighting a nearly lifelong battle against injustice.
| BN ID: | 2940173728302 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | HarperCollins |
| Publication date: | 12/06/2016 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
